Update, Jan. 12, 12:45 p.m.: The trial for Philong Huynh–who is accused of raping and killing Huntington Beach resident Dane Williams in January 2008–was originally scheduled to begin Jan. 11, but has been pushed back to May 23.

Huynh met Williams while the 23-year-old was in San Diego working as an intern for Hurley International at the Action Sports Retailers trade show. If convicted, Huynh may serve life in prison.

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More details of the case are in the original post below.

Original Post, Nov. 17, 2010, 1:44 p.m.: Despite the disturbing and twisted details of the Dane Williams murder case, prosecutors have opted to not seek the death penalty for the man accused of raping, then killing, the 23-year-old Huntington Beach resident.

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Philong Huynh, 40, of City Heights, instead will face trial on Jan. 11, 2011, with the possible maximum sentence of life in prison, without the chance of parole.

As of October, TheOrange County Register reports, prosecutors had been seeking the death penalty. However, on Friday, San Diego County District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis announced that her office–after a committee considered the “mitigating and aggravating circumstances” of the case, according to Paul Levikow, a spokesman from the DA's office–opted to reduce the possible maximum sentence. The DA's office refused to discuss details of why the decision was made.

Williams disappeared during the early morning of Jan. 26, 2008, while in San Diego for the Action Sports Retailer trade show, working for Hurley International as an intern. He had spent the evening with friends at the Hard Rock Hotel, but did not show up for a ride back to Orange County the following day. That's when he was reported missing.

Nearly three days later, around 6 a.m. on Jan. 29, Williams' body was discovered in an alley 7 miles from where he was last seen, bloody and wrapped in a blanket.

Despite a police investigation, the case went without any leads for more than a year. Family, friends and members of the surf community hosted a rally in Downtown San Diego on the one-year anniversary of Williams' death, calling for justice.

In September 2009, Huynh was arrested after DNA evidence found on a separate victim, a Navy man who survived the incident, linked Huynh to the DNA found on Williams' clothing. Huynh pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Reports say that Huynh drugged his victims with Benzodiazepine, a tranquilizer similar to Valium. In both incidents, the victims were missing their underwear.

Huynh is gay and a diagnosed schizophrenic. Prior to the incident, Huynh had a criminal record, including being an Arizona-based parole violator, stemming from a 1998 charge for kidnapping and unlawful imprisonment.